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OAO FAQs
Q1: What is the OAO?
Q2: What does the OAO do?
Q3: Who runs the OAO?
Q4: Who funds the OAO?
Q5: I want to collaborate/volunteer at the OAO. What can I do?
Q6: I have an outreach project I want the OAO to endorse. How can I apply?
Q7: I am organising a talk/meetup and I need an astronomer to be present. Can the OAO help me?
Q8: I can’t find the contact for my National Outreach Coordinator for my country/region. Where should I look for this information?
Q9: My National Outreach Coordinator is not responding to my emails. What can I do to contact the OAO?
Q10: My country/region doesn’t have a National Outreach Coordinator (NOCs), and I am interested in applying. How can I do it?
Q11: I want to promote my project in the OAO networks. How can I do it?
Q12: I want to participate in OAO projects/programmes. What can I do? What projects or programmes do you have available?
Q13: What is the difference between the IAU Offices?
Q1: What is the OAO?
A1: The Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) is an office of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) dedicated to engaging the public in astronomy through access to astronomical information and communication of the science of astronomy. The OAO is a joint project of the IAU and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), under the auspices of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan.
Q2: What does the OAO do?
A2: The OAO is responsible for:
(1) IAU outreach activities, including the FAQs, Themes, social media and public enquiries;
(2) the central coordination of astronomy-related professional networks for IAU-driven outreach projects. Examples include the National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs), the IAU Dark Skies Ambassadors, and volunteers for the Meet the IAU Astronomers! programme;
(3) supporting skill building for astronomy outreach professionals. Examples of these programmes include Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP) Journal and Conferences, the IAU Outreach Visitors Program, and Education and Public Outreach (EPO) sessions at IAU meetings. We additionally provide internships to all institutions that wish to establish a partnership with the OAO, such as the NARIT-NAOJ/IAU OAO Astronomy Outreach Trainee Programme.
Q3: Who runs the OAO?
A3: The core OAO Team is composed of the Director, Lina Canas, who is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of the OAO activities and programmes; the Deputy Director, Kelly Blumenthal, who oversees communications, CAPjournal, and specific OAO projects; the International Outreach Officer, Suzana Filipecki Martins, who manages the OAO's portfolio of global outreach projects and programmes; and the OAO Supervising Director, Hidehiko Agata, who oversees the OAO operations and bridges the OAO to the NAOJ.
Q4: Who funds the OAO?
A4: The OAO is primarily funded by the IAU and NAOJ and establishes project-driven external partnerships for specific projects.
Q5: I want to collaborate/volunteer at the OAO. What can I do?
A5: The OAO runs a visitors programme that allows outreach professionals and science communicators to work on specific projects within the OAO. You can apply for the programme here. Other volunteer opportunities may be posted on the volunteer portal of our sister office, the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development.
Q6: I have an outreach project I want the OAO to endorse. How can I apply?
A6: If you are running a national project or programme, you can ask for the endorsement of your National Outreach Coordinator (NOC). For international programmes, please contact public@oao.iau.org.
Q7: I am organising a talk/meetup, and I need an astronomer to be present. Can the OAO help me?
A7: Yes, the OAO runs the Meet the IAU Astronomers! Programme that links teachers, informal educators, and amateur astronomers to professional IAU member astronomers.
Q8: I can’t find the contact for my National Outreach Coordinator for my country/region. Where should I look for this information?
A8: You can go to the National Outreach Coordinators website, where all coordinators and their contacts are listed.
Q9: My National Outreach Coordinator is not responding to my emails. What can I do to contact the OAO?
A9: Please send an email to the OAO at public@oao.iau.org.
Q10: My country/region doesn’t have a National Outreach Coordinator (NOCs), and I am interested in applying. How can I do it?
A10: You can send an expression of interest to iauoutreach@oao.iau.org. Please read the full guidelines and application process on the IAU National Outreach Coordinators Nomination Guidelines webpage here.
Q11: I want to promote my project in the OAO networks. How can I do it?
A11: You can submit your event to the IAU Global Outreach Events. International programmes or internationally-accessible activities can also be submitted to the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter by emailing public@oao.iau.org.
Q12: I want to participate in OAO projects/programmes. What can I do? What projects or programmes do you have available?
A12: The OAO runs the Annual IAU Outreach Programmes, annual themes around which office programming is planned that encourage participation from any person on Earth. You may also refer to the official website and/or social media accounts for your National Outreach Coordinator and/or their host organisations. You can find this information on the National Outreach Coordinators website.
Q13: What is the difference between the IAU Offices?
A13: The IAU, whose Secretariat is in Paris, France, has four satellite offices: the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) in Tokyo, Japan; the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) in Cape Town, South Africa; the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in Heidelberg, Germany; and the IAU Office for Young Astronomers (OYA) in Oslo, Norway. In addition, the IAU recently opened a new IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS), based in Tuscon, Arizona, USA. All of the offices collaborate to strengthen the IAU impact globally and across different fields.
Each office has its speciality that furthers the integration of astronomy into a specific field. The OAO focuses on the communication of astronomy and the IAU relation with the public through outreach actions that support informal sharing (e.g., museums, science centres, social media, online events, etc.) of astronomical knowledge.
The OAO activities converge and/or support its sister offices in the following ways:
- OAD: Activities related to astronomy outreach for development and astronomy outreach actions that further the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- OAE: Formal education initiatives involving the community and/or with an impact on society and professional astronomers outreach activities in formal education settings;
- OYA: Skill-building in science communication and outreach for astronomers.